This might be of use to Layo.
Start in the middle of an adventure. Get them hooked with exciting action or a great story. Skip the build-up, which can take awhile, give them a synopsis of events so far, and have them pick things up from a cool mid-point.
I haven't done any tabletop (armchair/beanbag) gaming in a long time but I like this one for all players and GMs.
